Roman sewers were a problem because the waste from the sewers went directly into the river. This lead to sickness because people drank water from the river. In numerous Roman towns many people died from drinking water that was contaminated with human waste.
Ancient Rome Problems
The largest collection of ancient Roman garbage and waste ever found was found in a pit beneath the town of Herculaneum, near Naples. This town was destroyed by a volcano. It’s neighboring town was Pompeii. There wasn't an outlet in the pit. All of the waste just sat there for 2,000 years. They didn't just throw waste in here, they threw household items or anything they didn't need.
When waste was flushed from the toilets, it flowed through a channel into the sewage system, which then flowed into a nearby river or stream.
The Romans were not as sanitary as people thought. It was common for people to throw waste and items they didn't need out the window into the streets.
The Romans were the first to seal pipes in concrete so the pipes could resist high water pressures.
The street level in Rome rose as new buildings were constructed on top of rubble and trash.
Trash and waste was left to collect between buildings in the poorer districts of the city. It became so thick that stepping stones were needed.
In numerous Roman towns many people died from drinking water that was contaminated with human waste.
Roman sewers were a problem because the waste from the sewers went directly into the river. This lead to sickness because people drank water from the river.
The main sewer of Rome was the Cloaca Maxima. It emptied into the Tiber River and was made by an Etruscan King to drain marshes and valleys.
Clean water was brought into Rome through aqueducts. The water came from nearby rivers.
Ancient roman sewer grate.
Ancient Roman sewer system.
Present Day Problems and Research
US citizens produce more than 4 lbs of waste per person per day.
American’s generated 254.7 million tons of solid waste in 2005 and more than half was disposed of in landfills.
Less than 1/4 of the United States garbage is recycled. The rest is either burned or buried in a landfill.
According to the FDA, landfills are closed for one of the reasons. They were either full or they were contaminating groundwater.
In the US, at sewage treatment plants, bacteria remove up to 90 percent of organic wastes before the sewage moves to a sedimentation tank. At the sedimentation tank remaining solids and microorganisms settle as sludge. This substance is the burned or is used as fertilizer.
Present Day Solutions
The Greater Cincinnati Water Works has monitoring stations along the Ohio River to make sure the water the are distributing is safe and healthy to use.
GCWW is one of the few water treatment plants in the nation that has included granular activated carbon (GAC). GAC has been said to be the best available technology for removing the most common chemicals found in the Ohio River. Some of the benefits of GAC is it is safe for home use, able to improve taste and odor, and removes chlorine. Some of the bad things about GAC is it is expensive and it’s effectiveness depends on contaminant type, concentration, rate of water usage, and type of carbon used. Even though GAC is expensive, it is one of the most effective ways to clean water.
Another solution is recycling. If everyone recycles then 70% of landfill waste could be reused or recycled.
Ancient Rome Solutions
First, they could have set up a water treatment plant at the outlet of the sewers. They could use GAC to cleanse the water. This water treatment plant could offer jobs for the unemployed and also slaves could work here. If they set up a water treatment plant then their water from the Tiber River would be sanitary. This would lead to people not getting sick from contaminated water.
Secondly, they could have set up a sewage system that went to every house. If there was a sewage system that went to every house then they could reduce the amount of waste in the streets. Also this would make public health better because people would not get sick from contaminated water and would reduce the amount of trash thrown out on the street.
Finally, they could have made a garbage disposal system. They could use carts that could go door to door and collect peoples trash once a week. This would lead to better safety for the citizens because people would not have to throw items into the streets. This would also lead to less people getting sick because trash will be relocated to somewhere where people are not living.
I think that if Rome did all of these steps then their waste management problem would of been solved.
Contacts
Dr. Morton Barlaz Professor and Head of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University
Hi my name is Jack Murray and I am a student at Nagel Middle School in Cincinnati, Ohio. My social studies class is doing a project where we see if we can fix some of the things that the ancient Romans did . First we had to research the problem in ancient Rome. Then we had to research present day problems. After that we had to contact an expert. My problem I researched was waste management. And since you know a lot about waste management, I was wondering if you could answer a few questions about present-day waste management?
What are some of the good and bad things about our municipal solid waste landfills in the United States?
What is good about granular activated carbon (GAC) in the water treatment process?
Once trash gets to the municipal solid waste landfill, what happens to it?
I would greatly appreciate if you could answer these questions for me.
Response:
These are very board questions and I could write a book but will be brief
1. Good - they are relatively inexpensive and widespread and simple
Bad - they produce methane and not all of it is captured, the emissions contribute to climate change as methane is a greenhouse gas
2. I am not an expert in this area
3. The biodegradable material (paper, food waste, yard waste) decomposes to produce methane and carbon dioxide. It does not decompose completely and materials like plastic glass and metals are pretty much inert in landfills
good luck with your project
My response:
Thank you so much for your time. This information will greatly help my project.
Thanks again, Jack Murray
Citations
Owen, James. "Sacks of Human Waste Reveal Secrets of Ancient Rome." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 23 June 2011. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.
"àÃÂóóóàÃÂñÃÂÃÂïààç÷ÃÂçù ñóçÃÂàêèÃÂçÃÂ." Sanitation in Ancient Rome. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.
"Roman Sewage." - Ancient Rome for Kids! N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.
"Aqueducts, Water Supply and Sewers in Ancient Rome." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.
Final Project
wastemanagementinrome.weebly.comMain Problem
Roman sewers were a problem because the waste from the sewers went directly into the river. This lead to sickness because people drank water from the river. In numerous Roman towns many people died from drinking water that was contaminated with human waste.Ancient Rome Problems
Present Day Problems and Research
US citizens produce more than 4 lbs of waste per person per day.
American’s generated 254.7 million tons of solid waste in 2005 and more than half was disposed of in landfills.
Less than 1/4 of the United States garbage is recycled. The rest is either burned or buried in a landfill.
Present Day Solutions
The Greater Cincinnati Water Works has monitoring stations along the Ohio River to make sure the water the are distributing is safe and healthy to use.
GCWW is one of the few water treatment plants in the nation that has included granular activated carbon (GAC). GAC has been said to be the best available technology for removing the most common chemicals found in the Ohio River. Some of the benefits of GAC is it is safe for home use, able to improve taste and odor, and removes chlorine. Some of the bad things about GAC is it is expensive and it’s effectiveness depends on contaminant type, concentration, rate of water usage, and type of carbon used. Even though GAC is expensive, it is one of the most effective ways to clean water.
Another solution is recycling. If everyone recycles then 70% of landfill waste could be reused or recycled.
Ancient Rome Solutions
First, they could have set up a water treatment plant at the outlet of the sewers. They could use GAC to cleanse the water. This water treatment plant could offer jobs for the unemployed and also slaves could work here. If they set up a water treatment plant then their water from the Tiber River would be sanitary. This would lead to people not getting sick from contaminated water.Secondly, they could have set up a sewage system that went to every house. If there was a sewage system that went to every house then they could reduce the amount of waste in the streets. Also this would make public health better because people would not get sick from contaminated water and would reduce the amount of trash thrown out on the street.
Finally, they could have made a garbage disposal system. They could use carts that could go door to door and collect peoples trash once a week. This would lead to better safety for the citizens because people would not have to throw items into the streets. This would also lead to less people getting sick because trash will be relocated to somewhere where people are not living.
I think that if Rome did all of these steps then their waste management problem would of been solved.
Contacts
Dr. Morton Barlaz
Professor and Head of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University
Hi my name is Jack Murray and I am a student at Nagel Middle School in Cincinnati, Ohio. My social studies class is doing a project where we see if we can fix some of the things that the ancient Romans did . First we had to research the problem in ancient Rome. Then we had to research present day problems. After that we had to contact an expert. My problem I researched was waste management. And since you know a lot about waste management, I was wondering if you could answer a few questions about present-day waste management?
- What are some of the good and bad things about our municipal solid waste landfills in the United States?
- What is good about granular activated carbon (GAC) in the water treatment process?
- Once trash gets to the municipal solid waste landfill, what happens to it?
I would greatly appreciate if you could answer these questions for me.Response:
These are very board questions and I could write a book but will be brief
1. Good - they are relatively inexpensive and widespread and simple
Bad - they produce methane and not all of it is captured, the emissions contribute to climate change as methane is a greenhouse gas
2. I am not an expert in this area
3. The biodegradable material (paper, food waste, yard waste) decomposes to produce methane and carbon dioxide. It does not decompose completely and materials like plastic glass and metals are pretty much inert in landfills
good luck with your project
My response:
Thank you so much for your time. This information will greatly help my project.
Thanks again,
Jack Murray
Citations
- Owen, James. "Sacks of Human Waste Reveal Secrets of Ancient Rome." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 23 June 2011. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.
- "ÃÂ
ÃÂóóóàÃÂñÃÂÃÂïààç÷ÃÂçù ñóçÃÂàêèÃÂçÃÂ." Sanitation in Ancient Rome. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2013.
- "Roman Sewage." - Ancient Rome for Kids! N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.
- "Aqueducts, Water Supply and Sewers in Ancient Rome." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2013.
- "Water Quality Reports - GCWW." Water Quality Reports - GCWW. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2013.
- "Garbage." Facts- Dialogue for Kids (Idaho Public Television). N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013.
wastemanagementinrome.weebly.com